One of Us
by MaireadInish
Summary: Dead Story SG1 acquires a new team member and learns more about their allies' history.
1. Default Chapter

One of Us By CuppaJo  
  
Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters and places are the property of various and sundry organizations that do not include me. This a work of fanfiction, written for the sake of entertainment (mostly mine) and unfortunately no money was made from this endeavor.  
  
Rating: Will most likely end up PG-13, but for now it's G.  
  
Feedback: Please! Send questions, comments, flames, insults, good advice, bad advice, recipes, etc. to: amythestviolet@yahoo.com  
  
Archive: Go ahead and archive anywhere you like - just drop me a line.  
  
Spoilers: Through season 6.  
  
*************  
  
"Are you sure about this, son? I've never received one of these from you before."  
  
"What are you talking about General? I've given you cadet evaluations plenty of times."  
  
"Not one like this. It could ruin your reputation. And for a scientist no less." General Hammonds eyes twinkled with amusement. He liked pulling his 2IC's chain a bit once in a while. Lord knows he yanked back.  
  
Jack O'Neill snorted. "I'm sure sir. For once I got an exceptional recruit and she deserves credit for it."  
  
"Well, Jack, I'm surprised, but I'll be sure to pass this on to the joint chiefs. They'll be happy to know that our new recruits have done well in the preliminary tests. Will they be able to go off world on schedule?"  
  
"Yes, sir. We'll be sending them through to the alpha site tomorrow at 0600; see how they do in a combat zone with wormhole sickness. Lt. Crosby will lead the team."  
  
"You give her a lot of credit. What is it that made her impress you so much?"  
  
"I'm not sure, sir. She just stands out. She's almost as smart as Carter in the technical areas, but she excels in the combat sims. She acts like she's been a soldier for years. And she isn't afraid of me."  
  
General Hammond's eyebrows rose at the last remark. "Oh?"  
  
Jack smirked. "Wait till you meet her again general. You'll see."  
  
****************  
  
Jack was right; Lt. Josephine Crosby *was* different. The general could see that right away. Most newly commissioned officers were so frightened they practically stumbled over their own feet when they met a general. Those that didn't were so scared that they acted like arrogant know-it-alls to hide their fear. This one was indeed different. She entered Hammond's office and stood at attention until he invited her to sit. That wasn't unusual, everyone stood at attention. Lt. Crosby didn't salute like a cadet though; cadets held themselves stiffly when at attention, as if they would break if they were pushed over. She didn't. Her posture was perfect, her salute crisp, but she was entirely comfortable with herself - much like a seasoned officer. If he didn't know that she was only 24, he would swear she'd been military for as long as anyone on base. He wondered why she didn't come more highly recommended from the academy. Clearly, she stood out.  
  
"Good afternoon, Lieutenant."  
  
"Good afternoon, sir."  
  
Hmm. Something else different. Clearly the respect that he expected from a subordinate, but she greeted him almost graciously, as a host would greet a guest at a formal party. She looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Do you know why you are here this afternoon?"  
  
"As I understand it, General, you'd like to discuss my preliminary evaluation."  
  
Her expression remained absolutely staid, giving him no indication of nervousness. Actually her presence was calming. "Yes. Colonel O'Neill seems to think that your work exceeds expectations."  
  
"That's very good to know, sir." She returned, her expression never changing. "Good Lord," Hammond thought. "I pity anyone who ever needs to get information from her."  
  
"Tomorrow, you will be leading a team of your fellow recruits through the Stargate for further training. I wanted to know if you have any concerns or questions about this operation."  
  
"I do not have any questions, sir. Colonel O'Neill briefed us fully on what to expect. However, I would request that Cadet Vasquez be required to undergo a physical before being cleared for the mission tomorrow. His reactions seem to be a bit off and I think he may be coming down with something."  
  
"Very good. See to it. I'll inform Dr. Frasier that she needs to clear him before he can go through the gate."  
  
"Thank you, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?"  
  
"No, that will be all. Dismissed."  
  
"Thank you, sir." And with that, she saluted and left the office.  
  
***********  
  
"Really, sir, I don't know how she caught it. There were no noticeable symptoms. It wasn't until I did a full blood work-up on him that I even came across anything."  
  
"And Vasquez won't be going through the gate then tomorrow?" General Hammond asked Dr. Frasier.  
  
"I'm afraid not. He'll need a full course of antibiotics. While it is rare, Lyme disease can create serious problems. I'd rather not take that chance. He should be ready for active duty in a few days. I'm still amazed that Crosby noticed anything."  
  
"Did she mention what made her suspect something?"  
  
"She said that he was dropping his shots in the firing range and thought it might be due to muscle stiffness. Sir, he must be an awfully good shot if she noticed something like that. He was carrying his latest target when he came in. It was pretty good - not the best, but still pretty good, especially for a bad day. I've not had a chance to review her file - has Crosby had any medical training?"  
  
"Nothing more than the standard field medicine taught at the academy. Why?"  
  
"When she explained the situation to me she used medical terminology. She must have some background beyond field medicine. Either that or she has a very unusual hobby - I've met second year med students less able to explain the condition as accurately as she did. I'd like to see how extensive her knowledge base is sometime. It would be nice to have an extra person to back up the medical field team if necessary."  
  
"Actually, Crosby was recruited to work with Major Carter in the labs. She's never been a field officer."  
  
Dr. Frasier seemed surprised. "Really? I never would have guessed. Vasquez treated her as if he'd follow her anywhere. I was really surprised that she took such notice of the other recruits. It's not a trait that I've found common in such young officers, particularly ones not stationed in the field. She's not older than she looks is she? She's what, 28, 29?"  
  
"Actually, she's 24. But I understand what you mean. She's an impressive officer. I think I may have to look into her background more fully."  
  
***********  
  
"Sir! How can I help you?" Major Samantha Carter asked, standing up from the floor where she was tinkering on a machine, and brushed her hands on her pants. The general rarely came to her lab, so this was a bit unusual.  
  
"I'm not interrupting some world-changing experiment am I?" General Hammond asked, with a smile.  
  
She returned the smile. "Not right now, sir. I won't start on a project like that until after dinner."  
  
"I've come to talk to you about Lt. Crosby, the new recruit from the academy. What do you think of her?"  
  
"Well, sir, she works pretty hard and is very dedicated to her work."  
  
"But."  
  
"But I don't really think that she's really suited to working in one of our labs. Granted, she's quite intelligent and she can do the work - in fact she does it with gusto, but I can't help but think that she would be better suited to work upstairs. Her theoretical work is done almost entirely on deep space analysis."  
  
"I was aware of that, Major, in fact she would have gone directly to NORAD, but the CO up there pointed her in our direction when I mentioned our needs. She'll actually split her time between an SG team and the labs. The president wants to expand our training program so that we can have new officers ready to go into the field more quickly. Have you by any chance seen her in the colonel's field practices?"  
  
"No, I haven't. How are the recruits shaping up there, if you don't mind my asking?"  
  
"So far, so good. In fact, Colonel O'Neill seems to think Lt. Crosby is an excellent field officer. Dr. Frasier is impressed by her too. I wonder why she's so insistent about working in the lab. According to her records, despite top marks on field exercises, she's always requested lab assignments."  
  
"Actually, sir, I've reviewed her file as well. Prior to joining us, it looks as though she was shooting for NASA. All of her choices indicate that as her ultimate goal."  
  
"I suppose you would know about that, wouldn't you?" He asked, chuckling.  
  
"Yes sir, I would. But I was shooting to be an astronaut, she was aiming at R&D. It's not quite as competitive as going into space, but it's still pretty tough to get into. Now that she's here though, maybe she'll change her mind about field assignments."  
  
"I suppose we'll see tomorrow. The new recruits gate out in the morning." 


	2. Chapter 2

One of Us - Chapter 2 By CuppaJo  
  
General Hammond gaped at his rather disheveled looking 2IC.  
  
For his own part, Jack was trying to figure out whether he should be proud or pissed. This odd mixture of emotion gave his expression the disconcerting appearance that vaguely resembled a friendly grin, but more than not gave him a slightly psychotic look. The mud on his face and twigs in his hair did little to discourage this.  
  
"But no one's done it before. Even the Marines haven't done it before."  
  
"Did you know that Sgt. Kasagawa could fit into one of those packaging boxes? The ones we use to carry artifacts?"  
  
The general did some quick calculations in his head. "Those can't be more than 6000 cubic inches."  
  
"Less, actually - about 5800. And she had the emergency oxygen tank with her. Apparently her parents are circus clowns. Barnum and Bailey - ride around in one of those little cars. She did a stint as a contortionist for a while with them. Odd background for a Marine, wouldn't you say?" Jack grinned, his mind suddenly wandering to a vision of Makepeace in a tiny clown car.  
  
General Hammond interrupted his reverie. "So Crosby shoved one of her team members into a box and the mock Jaffa just carried her right into the compound with all of the other equipment. How did she get out once she was in?"  
  
"Well, as you know, there are three points of entry. Ten armed guards cover the front. The back is covered by four guards and an encrypted lock. The walls can't be scaled without some heavy-duty equipment and the roof entrance is covered by Teal'c and another Jaffa. Mau' kin, I think his name is. To date, everyone has tried going in the front or the back."  
  
"But not this team."  
  
"No. They reprogrammed the UAV."  
  
The general stared at him skeptically. "To do what, exactly?"  
  
"Crosby rode on it."  
  
"*Rode* on it? How did she stay on?"  
  
"She was duct taped to it; they launched it. She took out Mau' kin before Teal'c managed to disable it. Then they fought hand to hand. Teal'c is in the infirmary. I've never seen him with a fat lip before. It's quite an extraordinary sight. Oddest shade of purple."  
  
General Hammond stared at him in disbelief. "She took out Teal'c in hand to hand?"  
  
"Well, sir, to his credit she had crashed into him with the UAV first, and she still had pieces of it taped to her hands when she hit him, but yes, she took out Teal'c." Jack looked sheepish. "I told them that this was a no holds barred sim. The only things that they weren't allowed to use were real bullets and staffs. Teal'c woke back up in about five minutes. Of course, by that time he had been hog-tied. Apparently we not only hired a former circus contortionist, but a junior rodeo champion too. Crosby got in through the roof, crawled over the grid that holds up the dropped ceiling, got Kasagawa out of the box and together carried the artifact out."  
  
General Hammond blinked disbelievingly at Jack. "They just carried it out? No one stopped them? And was the rest of the team doing at this point?"  
  
"Well, no one knew they were *in.* As you said, no one has ever gotten into the compound, at least without making a hell of a lot of noise, so they didn't initially arouse any suspicion. They made it into a secondary communications station and managed to convince half of the guards at the back door to go and assist the guards at the front door to chase the cadets through the woods. The guards at the front thought the guards at the back were the cadets and half of us gave chase. When we caught the back-door guards, we thought they must have been used as a decoy to lure them away from the back door so they could attack there." Jack drew a breath before continuing. "We staged an attack on the back door ourselves."  
  
"You attacked your own base?" General Hammond couldn't believe his ears.  
  
"Well, sir, we didn't really attack so much as surround and threaten. We knew that they had hacked into the communication system somehow so we really couldn't trust the radios and we thought that the guards at the back must have been Kent and Mercredi, two of the recruits posing as the guards. They of course weren't, which we soon discovered."  
  
"Dare I ask where Kent and Mercredi were then?"  
  
"Well, let's just say that we now have a side door."  
  
"They blasted through the wall?"  
  
"Burned, if you want to be specific. Mercredi is quite the chemist, you know. He signed out a few extra supplies from the lab before the mission."  
  
General Hammond shook his head in disbelief. "So they went out the side of the building, through a hole they had burned into the wall and went back to the Stargate, which I'm sure that you had guarded."  
  
"Of course it was guarded. We had six on it, which is the standard for a Goa'uld gate, but O'Malley had been fiddling with the gate while the others had attacked the compound."  
  
"He *fiddled* with it? In what way, exactly?"  
  
"Well, Dr. Felger had come up with some kind of remote access to the DHD."  
  
"Felger? What does he have to do with any of this?"  
  
"O'Malley was a student of his before he transferred from the academy and will be working with him as his assistant, so they have a bit of a rapport. Anyway, Felger's remote doesn't really work the way it's supposed to. It spins the gate to dial up, but only gets to the third or fourth chevron before it shuts down. The range is pretty limited too. The kid was hiding not eight feet from the gate the entire time. O'Malley kept turning it on and off. The guards got nervous and called base camp, but by the time they did, Crosby and Kasagawa had tapped into the comms and diverted the call, telling them that it was a normal self-diagnostic and to ignore it, which they did.  
  
Just before the recruits got to the gate, they dialed up to the fourth chevron, then went in for a swift attack with smoke and a, well, with a tree."  
  
"A tree?"  
  
"Yes sir. They knocked a couple of trees down about twenty feet behind the gate using some small explosives. Three of the guards went to check it out, which is when the smoke canisters were brought in. Because they only had to dial three more chevrons, and because there was so much confusion, what with the trees and all they got through the gate quite easily once the guards had been tackled."  
  
"Do I want to ask?"  
  
"A circus performer, a rodeo champ, two high school fullbacks, and a black belt certainly make tackling seem easy."  
  
"I assume from your report that you'd like move on to the next step and assign the recruits to temporary team assignments."  
  
"Damn straight. . . uh, sir."  
  
"Very well, assign Kasagawa to SG-3, Kent to SG-5, O'Malley to SG-11, and Mercredi to SG-9."  
  
"And Crosby?"  
  
"If she can organize all of that, I'd like to see what else she can do. Tell her that she's on SG-1." 


	3. Chapter 3

One of Us - Chapter 3  
  
By CuppaJo  
  
"Welcome back SG-1. We'll debrief at 1400; get cleaned up and report to Dr. Frasier." General Hammond announced to his returning team as they stepped into the gateroom.  
  
Colonel O'Neill nodded in response. He, as well as the rest of the team, was soaked through. The planet they were on seemed to have two seasons - wet and torrential. But, it did have large deposits of naquadah, not to mention platinum. "Hey," Jack thought to himself, "it's better than a bake sale." It did, however, make for some treacherous and exhausting conditions, and his team certainly felt its effects. Daniel was sneezing quite ferociously and Crosby had a large, but not deep, gash on her arm from a minor rockslide.  
  
"Crosby, report to the infirmary and get your arm checked out before you hit the showers. You can get your check-up while you're there."  
  
"Yes, sir." She responded. Had anyone been paying attention, they would have seen her face go slightly pale at the mention of the word infirmary. But no one was paying attention.  
  
The team trudged to the elevators. Crosby looked at them warily SG-1 got on. "You coming, Crosby?" Colonel O'Neill asked her.  
  
"I think I'll take the stairs, thank you, sir." She smiled exhaustedly at him.  
  
The colonel gave her a suspicious look, but replied nonchalantly as the doors closed shut, "Suit yourself." Turning to his 2IC he asked, "anything in her file that mentions claustrophobia?"  
  
"No sir, and I know I've ridden in crowded elevators with her before and she's never seemed to have problems."  
  
"Humph." The colonel responded and stood with his brow creased in thought until they reached their destination.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lt. Crosby stood looking up at the stairs and sighed to herself. "Boy am I whuped." She thought. "I don't know if I'll be able to do this after every mission." She took a deep breath and stepped onto the first step. Then the second, the third, the fourth. She climbed, then she jogged, then she ran up the steps. She passed the floor to the infirmary, running all the way up to level thirteen then back down to the infirmary. She jogged to the door and abruptly slowed as she entered. Dr. Warner was on duty.  
  
"What can I do for you today, Lieutenant?" He asked pleasantly.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill sent me up for my post exam and to have this cut on my arm checked." She replied, keeping the breathlessness out of her voice as much as she could.  
  
"Okay, we can do that." He turned to one of his staff members. "Nurse, please get the lieutenant's vitals while I check on this arm." He turned back to Crosby. "We'll get you out of here in no time. Hop up on the bed."  
  
The nurse went to work checking her blood pressure, temperature, and pulse rate. He also got some vials ready for a blood test. "Blood pressure and pulse are a bit low, but within normal ranges. Temp is 97.9."  
  
"Cold blooded, huh?" Dr. Warner asked her as the nurse left with the blood samples. "The cut looks fine; there's no sign of infection and it's not deep enough to require stitches. Keep it clean and change the bandages twice a day." He continued the exam quickly and, deeming her fit and alien free, released her to the showers just after the rest of SG-1 entered the room.  
  
"Debriefing in half an hour." Col. O'Neill reminded the young woman as she walked past.  
  
"Yes, sir." She responded and she hurried off to the locker room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"How's Crosby working out in the field?" General Hammond asked Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter after he had dismissed the remainder of the team from the debriefing.  
  
"She's a good field officer. She even knocked Daniel out of the way when she noticed the rockslide starting. I wouldn't be surprised to find that she's as attentive as Teal'c when it comes to knowing what's going on around her."  
  
"Major Carter, do you share the colonel's opinion?"  
  
"Yes, General. To be frank, sir, I was a little surprised. I've worked with her in the lab and, although she is a consummate professional and undoubtedly intelligent, she doesn't really stand out. But this week in the field, she just seemed to fit. Her science background was very helpful and she certainly seems to know her way around watch duty. I'd be happy to see her assigned to a permanent field position."  
  
"That's good to hear, Major, as she has, in fact, requested a field assignment. However, there are none open at this time, so until there is, she will remain with SG-1 on a semi-permanent basis. You have a mission in two days."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
SG-1 stepped through the stargate onto PR9-161. "Okay, Carter, take point. T, you got our six. Let's go." Jack ordered before he noticed that one of his team was looking decidedly pale. "Crosby, are you okay?"  
  
A wave of nausea washed over her and she had to swallow before answering. "Yes sir. I suppose I'm still getting used to the effects of gate travel."  
  
"You have yet to experience any such problems before now, Lieutenant Crosby." Teal'c intoned.  
  
"He's right, Jo. Are you sure you're okay."  
  
Lt. Crosby smiled. "I'm fine ma'am."  
  
Jack raised his eyebrows at Daniel, silently telling him to keep an eye on her as they walked. "Okay, campers, let's move out then." They fell into line and began walking to the hills that showed the MALP showed had deposits of Naquadah.  
  
Daniel attempted to engage Crosby in conversation. Her answers to her questions remained terse. She had never been particularly talkative while in the field, but Daniel found her especially reticent on this day. She appeared alert, but acted as though she was in some discomfort.  
  
They reached the site that Daniel believed to be a hangar of sorts. It was a nice change from the usual temple that they explored. Jack thought. Too bad it was empty. He pulled himself away from his thoughts to look over at Crosby. She was still more quiet than usual, but she didn't seem ill anymore. She was busy setting up a tent with Sam. He even caught a smile at something that Sam said. Perhaps it was just gate sickness.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Daniel stared intently at the writings on the walls. He'd gone through every human language he could think of without finding any similarities. The only comparison that he had been able to make was to the orthographic system of Ogham, but the morphology and syntax were completely different from any of the Celtic languages that the writing system could represent. He even tried applying the letters to other languages that he knew. He' recently read an article claiming that there was some very old Ogham text found in Virginia. "Perhaps the language was a transplant of one of the Native American languages," he thought digging through his bag in search of a text that might help him.  
  
"Dr. Jackson." Crosby called from the doorway. "Col. O'Neill asked me to tell you to wrap things up. Lunch in 15 minutes."  
  
"Okay, Jo, I'll be right there." Daniel responded without really paying attention.  
  
Crosby wandered in to stand behind where he was sitting on the floor. She stared up at the wall, scanning the writing. After finding the book that he was looking for, he settled back on his haunches to begin checking for similarities. It was only then that he noticed that Crosby was still there. He stared up at her scanning the walls. It looked as though she was reading.  
  
"Jo, can you read this?" Daniel asked, surprised.  
  
"No, of course not." She responded without looking away from the walls.  
  
"Are you sure?" He asked, unconvinced.  
  
"Hm-mmm." She answered non-committally as she stepped toward the wall and ran her fingers over it. The instant she touched it, the words began to glow. She snatched her hand away the same instant that Daniel jumped to his feet.  
  
"What did you do?" He asked as he ran his own fingers over the walls. Nothing happened.  
  
She stared at him blankly. "We should go to lunch." She said as she turned towards the door and walked away.  
  
"Jo, wait!" Daniel called as he chased after her. "Show me what you did." She continued walking briskly away, stopping only when she reached the fire pit where the others were waiting. Daniel called out to her again, stopping when he caught up with her.  
  
"I got him here." Crosby tossed out casually, sitting down next to Carter with a grin. "I'm even early."  
  
Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I'm impressed, Crosby." He said, watching as Daniel attempted to catch his breath. "You don't get any extra for getting him to exercise." He handed over the ten- dollar bill he had pulled from his wallet.  
  
Daniel glared at Jack and looked at Crosby in disbelief. "He paid you to get me here?"  
  
"Nope. He bet me that I couldn't pull you away from your wall."  
  
"But how did you make the wall glow like that?"  
  
Jo looked at him blankly. "I think you've been breathing stale air too long; I have no idea what you're talking about, um, sir."  
  
Sam stifled a chuckle at Daniel's flabbergasted face, but quickly regained her composure. "What happened in there? What do you mean the wall glowed?"  
  
Daniel sat down heavily. "The letters on the wall, when Crosby here touched it, started to glow."  
  
Crosby stared at him with a confused look on her face.  
  
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Do you not agree with this statement, Lieutenant Crosby?"  
  
"No. I just went in and told Dr. Jackson that lunch was ready and we came up here. I didn't even go past the doorway."  
  
Daniel stared at her agape. "You came into the hangar, stood behind me and it looked like you were reading the walls. You walked toward it, touched it and it glowed."  
  
"I didn't." Crosby argued.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up kids. Now something's happening here and I would bet that it has something to do with that hangar thing. Daniel, you said that the writing *glowed* when Crosby touched it? There's no way it was just a trick of the light?"  
  
"No, Jack. I know what I saw." Daniel replied firmly.  
  
"Carter, take Teal'c and see if you can get some energy readings off of the wall or see if there are any electronic or mechanical gizmos that could make the wall glow. Wear gloves if you touch anything; check for any chemicals that might cause a memory lapse. Daniel, Crosby, start packing up. We're going back to the SGC to get you both checked out in the infirmary."  
  
Crosby paled, but nodded her head and began packing. Sam and Teal'c headed toward the building. Noting that Crosby wasn't paying attention to him, Jack silently followed.  
  
Once inside, Jack softly called to Carter and Teal'c. "Well, what do you think?"  
  
"You don't think it's some kind of prank do you, sir?" Carter asked.  
  
"If it is, it'll get her kicked out of the SGC. We don't scrub missions for practical jokes. So, no, I don't think it's a prank."  
  
"Lieutenant Crosby has been acting out of character since we arrived." Teal'c intoned. "It is possible that she is being influenced by something on this world."  
  
"Any chance it's a Goa'uld?"  
  
"I don't see how, sir. She was sitting right next to me a few minutes ago. I didn't sense a Goa'uld presence. So unless it's a Goa'uld without Naquadah in its system, it isn't there."  
  
"Daniel Jackson claimed that Lieutenant Crosby was reading the walls before she touched them. It is possible that it the building itself has some influence over her."  
  
"Did either of you notice Daniel acting strangely at all?"  
  
Carter shook her head as Teal'c replied, "I did not notice anything unusual about Daniel Jackson's behavior."  
  
"Okay, we'll just assume that he's fine for now. Let's keep exposure to anything in this building at a minimum for now. Just take some cursory scans, collect some samples, and look around. We'll send in a science team to check it out in depth when we get back. I'll keep an eye on Daniel and Crosby, and make sure that neither one of them starts doing anything weird. Be prepared to leave in two hours."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jack didn't notice anything weird as they packed up their gear. However, both Crosby and Daniel shot each other bemused glances when the other wasn't looking.  
  
They had packed everything up, but still had about fifteen minutes left of the two-hour deadline he had given in the hangar.  
  
Keeping an eye on Crosby as she fiddled with the FRED Jack pulled Daniel aside to get his opinion on the matter.  
  
"Jack, I don't know what's going on. I know what I saw. I can possibly understand that she didn't see the wall glowing, although I don't know how, but to deny that she even came in the building is beyond me."  
  
Jack held up a placating hand. "I believe you, Daniel. I'm just trying to figure out why. Aside from the problems at the gate when we arrived yesterday, everything was going smoothly. She and Carter were having a grand old time discussing physics theories. She taught Teal'c a new card game. We even talked about fishing."  
  
"She must be under an alien influence then." Daniel quipped.  
  
"Cute." Jack replied. "I just want to make sure I have the whole story. What exactly was she doing when the wall started to glow?"  
  
"I told you Jack, she just ran her hand over some of the writing and it started to glow. It stopped as soon as she took her hand off. She couldn't have touched it for more than a few seconds."  
  
Jack nodded and looked up again to check on Crosby. She was gone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Crosby, what are you doing in here?" Carter asked, surprised to see the girl.  
  
"I just wanted to let you know that we finished packing and that Col. O'Neill is chomping at the bit to get out of here." Her eyes drifted up to the wall that contained the writing. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she stepped towards it.  
  
"Lieutenant Crosby, stay where you are." Teal'c ordered. He was holding several bags containing the samples that they had taken earlier. Crosby stopped momentarily before bounding forward to press both hands against the wall.  
  
"Crosby!" Sam shouted as the words on the wall began to glow and a pair of claw like objects shot out of the wall clasping around Crosby's wrists. They looked very much like the things that had held Col. O'Neill's head to the Ancient's computer. Except this time, the claws glowed red hot and Crosby screamed out in pain.  
  
Teal'c threw down the bags and grabbed for his staff weapon as Col. O'Neill and Daniel came barreling through the door.  
  
Teal'c took aim and charged the weapon. At the same time, the clasp around Crosby's arms disappeared and she fell to the floor.  
  
Ugly black charred skin covered most of her forearms and her hands. Jack rushed forward and pulled the now unconscious woman away from the wall by her shoulders. Daniel appeared with the first aid kit and handed it over to Sam who quickly began to search for bandages. There was little else she could do for burns this severe while in the field. But having quickly assessed the damage, Sam realized that there was little left to do in the infirmary that wouldn't involve amputation.  
  
Having treated the lieutenant with a shot of morphine and another of antibiotics, Teal'c scooped her up and set out at a run for the gate. The remaining members of SG-1 quickly gathered the samples that they had taken in hopes that they would be of some help and followed as quickly as they could. 


	4. Chapter 4

One of Us – Chapter 4 

By CuppaJo

AN: As you may have noticed, I've left this fic hanging randomly with no end for some time. I realized, much to my chagrin, that I was indeed on the verge of Mary Sue-ing my character and it's taking me some time to try to rectify the situation. I'm also in the very bad habit of inventing characters without giving them anything to do. Consider this a draft and an occasionally stalled WIP. I really will attempt to write a bit more once I rein in Josephine a bit more. Please let me know if I start to go overboard again. Oh, and if anyone has a burning desire to be a beta, let me know. I could use one.

And for those of you who inquired - no, my name is not Josephine. grin .

SG-1 minus its newest member sat grim faced around the conference room table, standing when General Hammond and Dr. Frasier breezed into the room.

"How is she Janet?" Sam asked, worried expression on her face. She didn't realize until she asked that she had broken protocol by speaking.

Janet shot her a confused and slightly angry look that surprised the team. "Aside from a completely unnecessary shot of morphine that she received in the field and a few bruises from being manhandled, she's fine." She said icily. "I'd really like to know just **what** you were all thinking out there."

Sam looked at her, a shocked expression on her face. She turned to look at her teammates who looked equally bewildered. Even Teal'c's typical cool expression was replaced with a look of concern.

"Lt. Crosby had no signs of injury when Teal'c brought her through the gate." The general informed them grimly. "Colonel, what happened to make you all react like this?"

"Sir, Lt. Crosby had burns on her arms so severe as to require amputation." Carter interrupted again, unwilling to allow the issue to go overlooked. She and Crosby had developed a good rapport off world and she was worried about her.

"Easy Major." Jack admonished quietly. "We'll figure it out." He turned to address the general. "She's right, sir. I've seen burns like that before – amputation _was_ required. You're saying she showed no signs of injury at all?"

Janet's expression softened with relief when she realized that whatever had happened on that planet, SG-1 was not intentionally responsible for the state of her patient. They really thought they were acting in her best interest – which was worrying enough in itself. They were all well aware of the dangers as well as the benefits of morphine. "Her temperature, BP, and heart rate are all a little low – nothing to significantly worry about at this point – but there was no trace of burns anywhere. Her arms are fine – not a scratch." Janet paused a moment as if realizing what she had said, a thought creasing her brow and she began flipping through the lieutenant's medical file.

"Something wrong, Doc?" Jack asked, frowning.

"Maybe." Janet mumbled searching through the thick file. It was then that Jack realized that the file really **was** thick – thicker than that of non-field officer and certainly thicker than that of a newly graduated cadet.

Just as he was about to comment, Janet found what she was looking for and her frown of concentration turned into one of concern.

"Janet, what is it?" Daniel prompted.

She looked up at the general, eyes clouded. "All SG personnel have had their scars mapped for identification purposes and for – other reasons." She informed them, referring in the latter to Goa'uld entry marks. "Lt. Crosby had a five inch scar on her inner right arm from a minor accident two years ago. It's not there anymore. There really isn't a scratch on her arms. Not anymore."

"What exactly are you saying, Doctor?" General Hammond demanded.

"I'm not sure, sir, and I don't want to jump to conclusions but quite frankly I can only think of two possibilities – either Crosby developed some awfully remarkable healing powers on that planet or this isn't the same woman who was here for the pre-mission exam."

General Hammond stormed to his feet and over to the briefing room phone. "I want SF's posted to the infirmary now!" He barked into the phone. "Lt. Crosby isn't to be left alone for any reason." He replaced the handset of the phone with a bang and turned back to the table at large. "Now, people, I need to know everything that happened on the planet from the moment you stepped through the gate."

Lt. Crosby's eyes creaked open, sticky with medication-induced sleep. A wave of fear coated by a more physical one of nausea washed over her. Her chin trembling, she gathered her courage. She could **feel** the limbs that she knew couldn't be there anymore. Her father, an electrical engineer in the Army Corps of Engineers, had died of burns like the ones she had suffered. She remembered the putrid scent of burned skin assaulting her nostrils as she sat by his bedside as he lay dying. Burning like that was the only fear she was willing to admit to herself. And then she watched as it happened to her. A whimper escaped her lips as she bit her lip as she sat up to look.

She gasped and hot tears prickled at her eyes in amazement. Her breathing increased and she found herself choking on her sobs of relief. As the alarms went off to alert medical personnel, she was distracted from wondering why her surprisingly intact arms were in restraints. Then, as she felt the warmth of a sedative rush beneath her skin, she ceased to wonder about anything.

"Jo? Are you awake?" She heard the words through a haze. For the second time since her arrival in the infirmary, her eyes slid open and she squinted at the overhead lights, vaguely registering the voice of Daniel Jackson. "Ev'one 'kay?" She mumbled.

Daniel grinned and looked over at the rest of SG-1. "Yeah, Jo, everyone's okay. Including you…"

Her eyes fluttered open and her head bobbed up so quickly it made black spots dance in front of her eyes. What if it had been just a dream before? She had to see for herself. She tried to lift her arms, but couldn't; panic began to set in once again.

"Shh, Jo, it's okay. You're arms are okay." Daniel soothed, grabbing a cup of water from the bedside tray.

Crosby took a deep shuddery breath. "Can't move…" She muttered as Daniel held the straw out for her to drink.

"Lieutenant, they had to put you in restraints. We weren't sure what happened back there." Carter informed her seriously. "Do you remember?"

"It burned." The young officer said, her eyes screwed tight. "The wall – it grabbed me." She shook her head at how strange that sounded, but knowing it was true. "At first it was, I don't know, not bad – like rubbing your hand over rough concrete, but then it, started getting hot." She gulped and she tried to control her rapidly increasing breath.

"I think that's enough for now." Dr. Frasier stepped in. Josephine hadn't even noticed her in the corner.

"No. Please. Let me just finish." She calmed her breathing and continued. "I could smell my flesh burn and I panicked." She looked up at the other members of the team. "What happened? It couldn't have been a dream." She said more to herself than to them. "They've never been that vivid." She mumbled under her breath. Only one person heard her. Everyone else was looking at Dr. Frasier.

The doctor ignored the looks and began checking Crosby's vitals, frowning as she wrote down the numbers; Crosby noticed and paled.

"Are you feeling okay, Lieutenant?" Despite having just taken her temperature with an ear thermometer, the doctor placed her hand against her patient's forehead.

"Maybe a little… um, cold." She suggested without conviction. "Okay otherwise."

"Everything okay, Doc?" Col. O'Neill asked.

"It could just be a side effect of the pain meds, but her stats are still a little low. I'm actually a little surprised she's awake right now." Dr. Frasier replied.

"She is right here." Crosby grumbled.

"It **could** support one of the theories." Dr. Frasier told him quietly.

"You know, it's just occurred to me that it's not exactly SOP to strap burn patients to the bed. Does anyone want to clarify for the one who's been asleep?"

"Just a precaution." Janet dismissed her with a pat on the arm and a smile.

Crosby frowned. "Oh, God, I didn't hurt anyone did I? Is that why I'm strapped down? I don't remember hurting anyone."

"You did not, Lieutenant Crosby." Teal'c informed her. "You have been unconscious since we returned through the stargate."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "I remember you carrying me. That did happen, didn't it?"

"It did indeed."

"Did you see what happened – how my arms healed?" She asked quietly, as if sharing a confidence.

"I did not. Your arms were heavily bandaged." Teal'c uncharacteristically hesitated. "You have dreamed of being burned before." He stated succinctly.

SG-1 and Janet, who had been conferring quietly, turned back to the bed at this mention. Crosby looked away from them, embarrassed.

"Yes." She muttered.

"Any particular reason?" Jack asked gently.

Crosby shot him a dirty look. "My father died of electrical burns." She griped at him. "It's not a pretty way to go."

She moved to cross her arms across her chest but couldn't because of the restraints.

"Why am I restrained again? I haven't hurt anyone, and it's not SOP. What's the deal?" She asked petulantly, eager to change the subject.

"Maybe the wall projects our dreams, or our fears." Daniel suggested.

"And it reacted to Crosby and not to you, why?" Jack inquired.

"Maybe Ancient technology is selective." Daniel suggested with a shrug.

"It wasn't Ancient technology." Crosby blurted drawing attention away from the approaching argument. She could make a pretty good guess as to why it had reacted to her and not Daniel.

"'Scuse me?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised.

Crosby looked shocked by her outburst. "I don't know how I knew that."

"Something cruvis with your frond, perhaps?" Jack asked facetiously.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Nothing."

Daniel gave him a look of annoyance. "Is anything else popping into your mind – something that you don't think you knew before?"

The lieutenant pursed her lips in concentration. "No. I don't think so."

"It's not Ancient's technology. It's…" Daniel tried to lead.

"Nox?" Crosby asked.

"It's Nox technology?" Carter asked, clearly surprised.

"Nooooo… That's not right." She frowned in concentration, but she couldn't seem to willfully call up information. "Tell me more about the Nox; maybe I can remember that way."

"The Nox are pacifists…" Daniel began.

"Not all of them." She looked up at them in surprise, an edge of excitement creeping into her voice. "Tell me more."

Daniel cottoned on to what she was trying to do, and he worked to dig into the puzzle. "The Nox we met were pacifists. Apparently some of them aren't though. These Nox…"

"Aren't called Nox anymore; they left their home world."

"And they went…" Daniel asked excited.

"To many different worlds."

"Including PR9-161, where they built the hangar."

Crosby nodded. "They needed a long distance attack base to fight the Goa'uld."

Jack interrupted with his own question. "They also went…"

"To Earth." Crosby looked up at him in shock, the consequences of what she said sinking in.

"In order to…" Jack continued, dreading the answer.

Crosby whispered her final reply, her face horrified, "Colonize."


End file.
